Partnerships 4 Families (P4F) is inviting childhood professionals and advocates from the area to attend a July 7 meeting to discuss potential social emotional health needs of young children coming out of the pandemic. According to Director, Cindy Duhrkopf, P4F offers education and skills to parents, daycare centers, schools and other similar organizations to support children younger than five years old. She says they are hoping to identify any behavioral issues that might be occurring as kids return to pre-pandemic normal.
The meeting takes place between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesday, July 7 at the Coon Rapids-Bayard High School media center and is open to providers in Audubon, Carroll, Greene and Guthrie Counties. Duhrkopf is requesting participants to do a little reading prior to attending the meeting.
This includes multiple resources, like the Growing Brain and Al’s Pals curriculums or children’s entertainment media, such as Sesame Street’s in Communities or Daniel Tiger. Links to those resources are included below this story. She adds there have been very few studies regarding the pandemic’s impact on very young children, but their goal is to develop a response to problems before they become a broader issue.
Duhrkopf is hoping to have as many early childhood professionals as possible attend the meeting. She says this will help them develop a better understanding of the most common social emotional issues in the region stemming from the pandemic.
_____
